I represent the first generation whom, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes. When I was born people had breakfast with Barbara Walters, dinner with Walter Cronkite, and slept with Johnny Carson.
Read the full "Pre-ramble"

Thursday, May 31, 2012

First hour: Ed welcomes author and pop culture historian Mike Pingel. Mike's latest book, Channel Surfing: Wonder Woman, is a behind-the-scenes look at the classic TV series, including a detailed episode guide, information about the designs of Wonder Woman's various costumes, plus interviews with Lynda Carter and other series personnel. Also in this hour: a look at the 20th anniversary of the reaction to Dan Quayle's criticism of Murphy Brown, plus an encore presentation of the Sounds of Lost Television's salute to Ann-Margret.

Second hour: Ed welcomes actress, comedienne and "pop culture anthropologist" Sandra Bernhard(The L Word, Roseanne, Watch What Happens Live). Sandra's new one-woman show, Sandrology, will be at REDCAT, the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater in Los Angeles, from May 30 through June 10. For tickets and more information, call (213) 237-2800 or go to www.redcat.org. Sandra will also bring Sandrology to other cities across the country, including Seattle on June 21-22-23. Also in this hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen remember the 20th anniversary of Johnny Carson's final night as host of The Tonight Show, as well as the controversy that went on behind the scenes as to whether Jay Leno or David Letterman would succeed Johnny as host of The Tonight Show.

Passionate World RadioAnn Arbor, MITuesday 6/611:05pm ET, 8:05pm PTClick on the Listen Live button at InternetVoicesRadio.comA pioneer in the entertainment industry in more ways than one, Michael St. John was the first African-American man hired as a director for NBC television, where he worked on such prime time shows as Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In and The Andy Williams Show, as well as such news personalities as Tom Brokaw and Bryant Gumbel. Prior to that, Michael also worked as a stage and film actor in such films as Carmen Jones, the first major Hollywood motion picture featuring an all African-American cast.

But there were remnants of segregation in Hollywood when Michael first arrived in the early 1950s. The story of how he overcame that — and go on to leave his mark in the worlds of stage, film, television, music, radio and publishing — is one of the driving forces of Michael’s book, Hollywood Through the Back Door. Michael’s book serves as a reminder that while Hollywood can be tough to navigate, it can also be a very rewarding town to those who are persistent. We’ll talk about that, as well as ask about some of Michael’s experiences with the likes of Shirley Booth, Mary Pickford, Brock Peters, Marilyn Horne, Marilyn Monroe, Lillian Gish, Pearl Bailey, Dorothy Dandridge, and Otto Preminger, when he joins in our second hour.

Also joining us this week will be film and TV biographer Linda Alexander. Linda’s latest book, A Maverick Life: The Jack Kelly Story, is a comprehensive look at the life and career of the actor best known for playing Bart Maverick on the long-running Western series,Maverick (ABC, 1957-1962). An accomplished, versatile performer since virtually the day he was born, Jack Kelly was a fixture in film and television for more than five decades before semi-retiring from the industry to enter the world of politics, where he served as a city councilman (and, later, a two-term mayor) of Huntington Beach, California. If that weren’t enough, he was also a successful businessman, and owned a newspaper, The Huntington Beach News.

Yet for all his accomplishments, Jack Kelly spent much of his professional life in the shadow of two people: his elder sister, Nancy Kelly, and his co-star on Maverick, James Garner. We’ll talk about that, as well as discuss other aspects of Jack Kelly’s career before, during and after Maverick, when Linda Alexander joins us in our first hour.

It’ll be a full program as always, and we certainly hope you’ll join us.

The network signed on at 6 p.m. EST from
its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, with a lead story about the attempted
assassination of civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. CNN went on to change the
notion that news could only be reported at fixed times throughout the day. At
the time of CNN's launch, TV news was dominated by three major networks--ABC,
CBS and NBC--and their nightly 30-minute broadcasts. Initially available in
less than two million U.S. homes, today CNN is seen in more than 89 million
American households and over 160 million homes internationally.

CNN was the brainchild of Robert "Ted"
Turner, a colorful, outspoken businessman dubbed the "Mouth of the
South." Turner was born on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and as
a child moved with his family to Georgia, where his father ran a successful
billboard advertising company. After his father committed suicide in 1963, Turner
took over the business and expanded it. In 1970, he bought a failing Atlanta TV
station that broadcast old movies and network reruns and within a few years
Turner had transformed it into a "superstation," a concept he
pioneered, in which the station was beamed by satellite into homes across the
country. Turner later bought the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the Atlanta
Hawks basketball team and aired their games on his network, TBS (Turner
Broadcasting System). In 1977, Turner gained international fame when he sailed
his yacht to victory in the prestigious America's Cup race.

In its first years of operation, CNN lost money
and was ridiculed as the Chicken Noodle Network. However, Turner continued to
invest in building up the network's news bureaus around the world and in 1983,
he bought Satellite News Channel, owned in part by ABC, and thereby eliminated
CNN's main competitor. CNN eventually came to be known for covering live events
around the world as they happened, often beating the major networks to the
punch. The network gained significant traction with its live coverage of the
Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the network's audience grew along with the
increasing popularity of cable television during the 1990s.

In 1996, CNN merged with Time Warner, which
merged with America Online four years later. Today, Ted Turner is an
environmentalist and peace activist whose philanthropic efforts include a 1997
gift of $1 billion to the United Nations.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

Bette Midler finished her appearance from center stage, where she slowly sang the pop standard "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)". This final Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was immediately recognized as a television classic that Bette Midler considered one of the most emotional moments of her life and eventually won an Emmy for her role in it.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

First hour: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen join Ed for a look at notable shows that were cancelled by the four major networks (including Awake and Are You There, Chelsea), as well as shows that were renewed (including Community and Parks and Recreation), and shows that recently premiered (including Veep, Girls and Scandal).

Second hour: Film and TV character actor Edward Faulkner (The Green Berets, McLintock, Rio Lobo) discusses his friendship and professional affiliation with screen legend John Wayne. Ed will be appearing at the Memphis Film Festival in Olive Branch, MI on May 31 thru June 2, 2012; the annual Western Legends Round-Up in Kanab, UT on August 16-18, 2012; and at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO on Saturday, Sept. 15. Also in this hour: This Week in TV History remembers the 25th anniversary of "The Puppy Episode" and its impact on the ABC series Ellen and network television in general.

Wry, witty, sometimes wicked but always irreverent, Sandra Bernhardhas been wowing audiences since her early days at the Comedy Store in the 1970s, mixing outrageous humor with cutting satire and fiercely energetic musical numbers. Known for her many appearances on such shows as Roseanne, The L Word, The Larry Sanders Show and The Late Show with David Letterman, she is currently seen every week as the resident “pop culture anthropologist” on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, where she riffs on trendy topics and all things celebrity. In fact, Sandra is about to launch a new one-woman show, Sandrology, that takes its name from her segments on Bravo. We’ll talk about that, and a whole lot more, when she joins us in our second hour.

Sandra Bernhard will be performing Sandrology at REDCAT, the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater,631 West 2nd Street in Los Angeles from Wednesday, May 30 through Sunday, June 10. For tickets and more information, call (213) 237-2800 or go to www.redcat.org. Sandra will also be bringing Sandrology to other cities across the country, including Seattle on June 21-22-23. For tour updates and news on her other upcoming appearances, go to www.sandrabernhard.com.

Also joining us this week will be author, actor and pop culture historian Mike Pingel. Mike’s latest book, Channel Surfing: Wonder Woman, tells you everything you wanted to know about the classic TV series from the 1970s starring Lynda Carter, including a detailed episode guide, information about the designs behind Wonder Woman’s various costumes, interviews with Lynda Carter, series producer Douglas S. Cramer, guest stars Joan Van Ark and Stella Stevens, and much, much more.

We’ll talk about the eternal appeal of Wonder Woman, the differences between Wonder Woman on ABC and CBS, and many other interesting factoids, when Mike Pingel joins us in our first hour.

About Us

TONY FIGUEROA is a standup comedian, writer, actor and storyteller based in Los Angeles. In his spare time Tony can be found story telling at the Story Salon in North Hollywood (Tony is also one of the producers) and of course watching TV. Tony is also a contributor to TV CONFIDENTIAL.
DONNA ALLEN-FIGUEROA always knew that she wanted to act. Donna’s professional credits include principle roles on the soaps DAYS OF OUR LIVES and GENERAL HOSPITAL. She guest starred with Robert Guillaume on ROBERT GUILLAUME SHOW. Donna also lends her voice to many animated characters, and has appeared in several television commercials. Theater credits include several LA productions (including readers and Radio Theater), and a season with Chicago’s famed Free Street Theater. Donna is a chronic shopper always in search of the ultimate bargain.